The Dead Mountaineer's Inn: One More Last Rite for the Detective Genre

When Inspector Peter Glebsky arrives at a remote ski chalet on vacation, the last thing he intends to do is get involved in any police work. He's there to ski, drink brandy, and loaf around in blissful solitude. But he hadn't counted on the other vacationers, an eccentric bunch, including a famous hypnotist, a physicist with a penchant for gymnastic feats, a sulky teenager of indeterminate gender, and the mysterious Mr. and Mrs. Moses.

Metro 2033

The year is 2033. The world has been reduced to rubble. Humanity is nearly extinct and the half-destroyed cities have become uninhabitable through radiation. Beyond their boundaries, they say, lie endless burned-out deserts and the remains of splintered forests. Survivors still remember the past greatness of humankind, but the last remains of civilisation have already become a distant memory. Man has handed over stewardship of the earth to new life-forms. A few score thousand survivors live on, not knowing whether they are the only ones left on Earth....

Solaris: The Definitive Edition

At last, one of the world’s greatest works of science fiction is available - just as author Stanislaw Lem intended it. To mark the 50th anniversary of the publication of Solaris, Audible, in cooperation with the Lem Estate, has commissioned a brand-new translation - complete for the first time, and the first ever directly from the original Polish to English. Beautifully narrated by Alessandro Juliani (Battlestar Galactica), Lem’s provocative novel comes alive for a new generation.

We Are Legion (We Are Bob): Bobiverse, Book 1

Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it's a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street. Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state. He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets.

Children of Time

Adrian Tchaikovksy's critically acclaimed stand-alone novel Children of Time is the epic story of humanity's battle for survival on a terraformed planet. Who will inherit this new Earth? The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age - a world terraformed and prepared for human life. But all is not right in this new Eden.

Neuromancer

Twenty years ago, it was as if someone turned on a light. The future blazed into existence with each deliberate word that William Gibson laid down. The winner of Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick Awards, Neuromancer didn't just explode onto the science fiction scene - it permeated into the collective consciousness, culture, science, and technology.Today, there is only one science fiction masterpiece to thank for the term "cyberpunk," for easing the way into the information age and Internet society.

Alien: Covenant: A Novel

Ridley Scott returns to the universe he created with Alien: Covenant, a new chapter in his groundbreaking Alien adventure. The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise. But it is actually a dark, dangerous world.

October: The Story of the Russian Revolution

The renowned fantasy and science fiction writer China Mieville has long been inspired by the ideals of the Russian Revolution, and here, on the centenary of the revolution, he provides his own distinctive take on its history. In February 1917, in the midst of bloody war, Russia was still an autocratic monarchy: nine months later it became the first socialist state in world history. How did this unimaginable transformation take place? How was a ravaged and backward country, swept up in a desperately unpopular war, rocked by not one but two revolutions?

The Three-Body Problem

Set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion.

Perdido Street Station

Beneath the towering bleached ribs of a dead, ancient beast lies New Crobuzon, a squalid city where humans, Re-mades, and arcane races live in perpetual fear of Parliament and its brutal militia. The air and rivers are thick with factory pollutants and the strange effluents of alchemy, and the ghettos contain a vast mix of workers, artists, spies, junkies, and whores.

Borne

In Borne, a young woman named Rachel survives as a scavenger in a ruined city half destroyed by drought and conflict. The city is dangerous, littered with discarded experiments from the Company - a biotech firm now derelict - and punished by the unpredictable predations of a giant bear. Rachel ekes out an existence in the shelter of a run-down sanctuary she shares with her partner, Wick, who deals his own homegrown psychoactive biotech.

The Voice from the Edge, Vol. 1: I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream

Harlan Ellison has won more awards for imaginative literature than any other living author, but only aficionados of Ellison’s singular work have been aware of another of his passions…he is a great oral interpreter of his stories. His recordings have been difficult to obtain…by his choice. In 1999, for the first time, he was lured into the studio to record this stunning retrospective.

Earthcore

EarthCore is the company with the technology, the resources, and the guts to go after the mother lode. Young executive Connell Kirkland is the company's driving force, pushing himself and those around him to uncover the massive treasure. But at three miles below the surface, where the rocks are so hot they burn bare skin, something has been waiting for centuries. Waiting...and guarding. Kirkland and EarthCore are about to find out first-hand why this treasure has never been unearthed.

The Shadow of the Torturer: The Book of the New Sun, Book 1

The Shadow of the Torturer is the first volume in the four-volume epic, the tale of a young Severian, an apprentice to the Guild of Torturers on the world called Urth, exiled for committing the ultimate sin of his profession - showing mercy towards his victim.

Gene Wolfe's "The Book of the New Sun" is one of speculative fiction's most-honored series. In a 1998 poll, Locus Magazine rated the series behind only "The Lord of the Rings" and The Hobbit as the greatest fantasy work of all time.

Dive into the mysteries of Area X, a remote and lush terrain that has inexplicably sequestered itself from civilization. Twelve expeditions have gone in, and not a single member of any of them has remained unchanged by the experience - for better or worse.

The Fisherman

In upstate New York, in the woods around Woodstock, Dutchman's Creek flows out of the Ashokan Reservoir. Steep-banked, fast-moving, it offers the promise of fine fishing, and of something more, a possibility too fantastic to be true. When Abe and Dan, two widowers who have found solace in each other's company and a shared passion for fishing, hear rumors of the Creek, and what might be found there, the remedy to both their losses, they dismiss it as just another fish story.

The Left Hand of Darkness

A groundbreaking work of science fiction, The Left Hand of Darkness tells the story of a lone human emissary to Winter, an alien world whose inhabitants can change their gender. His goal is to facilitate Winter's inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the completely dissimilar culture that he encounters. Embracing the aspects of psychology, society, and human emotion on an alien world, The Left Hand of Darkness stands as a landmark achievement.

Great Utopian and Dystopian Works of Literature

Can literature change our real world society? At its foundation, utopian and dystopian fiction asks a few seemingly simple questions aimed at doing just that. Who are we as a society? Who do we want to be? Who are we afraid we might become? When these questions are framed in the speculative versions of Heaven and Hell on earth, you won't find easy answers, but you will find tremendously insightful and often entertaining perspectives.

Will Save the Galaxy for Food

Space travel just isn't what it used to be. With the invention of Quantum Teleportation, space heroes aren't needed anymore. When one particularly unlucky ex-adventurer masquerades as famous pilot and hate figure Jacques McKeown, he's sucked into an ever-deepening corporate and political intrigue. Between space pirates, adorable deadly creatures, and a missing fortune in royalties, saving the universe was never this difficult!

Ubik

Glen Runciter runs a lucrative business - deploying his teams of anti-psychics to corporate clients who want privacy and security from psychic spies. But when he and his top team are ambushed by a rival, he is gravely injured and placed in "half-life," a dreamlike state of suspended animation. Soon, though, the surviving members of the team begin experiencing some strange phenomena, such as Runciter's face appearing on coins and the world seeming to move backward in time.

Columbus Day: Expeditionary Force, Book 1

The Ruhar hit us on Columbus Day. There we were, innocently drifting along the cosmos on our little blue marble, like the Native Americans in 1492. Over the horizon came ships of a technologically advanced, aggressive culture, and BAM! There went the good old days, when humans got killed only by each other. So, Columbus Day. It fits. When the morning sky twinkled again, this time with Kristang starships jumping in to hammer the Ruhar, we thought we were saved.

Dead Men Can't Complain and Other Stories

Including three never-before-published stories, Dead Men Don't Complain is the first-ever collection of short fiction by Peter Clines, author of 14, The Fold, and other Audible smash hits. Combining equal parts geekery and humor with the occasional dash of horror, Dead Men Don't Complain is ideal for Clines fans eagerly awaiting his next novel - or for brand-new listeners discovering this Audible favorite for the first time.

Void Star

Not far in the future, the seas have risen, and the central latitudes are emptying. But it's still a good time to be rich in San Francisco, where weapons drones patrol the skies to keep out the multitudinous poor.

Publisher's Summary

Red Schuhart is a stalker, one of those young rebels who are compelled, in spite of extreme danger, to venture illegally into the Zone to collect the mysterious artifacts that the alien visitors left scattered around. His life is dominated by the place and the thriving black market in the alien products. But when he and his friend Kirill go into the Zone together to pick up a "full empty", something goes wrong. And the news he gets from his girlfriend upon his return makes it inevitable that he'll keep going back to the Zone, again and again, until he finds the answer to all his problems.

I was impressed with this short 1970s Russian science fiction novel, which still feels pretty fresh and original. It's as gripping as any recent book, and, with a few minor updates, could have easily worked in the present day. The story begins about a decade after aliens of some sort landed on Earth, bringing several strange "zones" into existence. The zones are very hazardous places, full of dangerous substances and weird phenomena, many of which defy all current human understanding of physics and even causality. People who go in run a high chance of being killed (or being unkilled, in the case of corpses that come back to life).

Roadside Picnic is set in a small town close to a zone in North America (given the bleak tone and character attitudes, the authors undoubtedly had good reason not to use their own country). The population of this town breaks down into roughly two central camps, the first being legitimate scientists studying the artifacts the aliens left behind -- though no one is really certain that such mysterious beings actually "left", or even that they were "there" in person in the first place. Then there is a subculture of people called "stalkers", who go into the zone illegally to gather artifacts for sale on the black market. The protagonist is a rough-necked former stalker nicknamed Red, who is working for the scientists at the outset of the book, but hasn't lost his swaggering, cynical view of human nature or his distrust of authority.

If this were a typical US or British sci-fi novel, we might expect Red and the scientists to set to work solving the puzzle of the artifacts and eventually figure out the motives of the aliens, but this book has a different, more subtle set of concerns. Like Stanislaw Lem's brilliant Solaris, it uses the incomprehensibility of the truly alien as a mirror to human psychology and our ideas concerning our place in the universe. As one scientist points out, the visitors might have simply been advanced beings on some equivalent of a casual holiday, leaving their litter behind them for the local creatures to scavenge. If so, what does that say about the economy and culture of exploitation that's arisen in the zone town? Or about someone like Red, one of the few people with the instinct and drive to reach the heart of the zone and the Solaris-esque wish fulfillment mechanism that awaits him there?

Roadside Picnic has one of those ambiguous endings that threw me for a loop at first, but the more I reflected on its connection all the layers of commentary in the book, the more powerful it became. There are probably some indirect observations about Soviet society in there, too, given the way the national authorities in the story treat certain zone residents, but the less obvious bits doubtless went over the head of an American like me.

In sum, a work of stunning, dark, gritty vision, and one I'd definitely add to my best-of-science-fiction list. I can't speak with authority to the authenticity of Olena Bormashenko's recent Russian-to-English translation, but it felt solid. The audiobook narrator did a decent job -- his old school tough guy voice is a good fit for Red, and adequate for some other characters.

this is going on my best list. this is an excellent existential scifi story. there is some creepy stuff at the beginning and the writing is top notch. I don't want to give anything away. at times it's a little noir-ish in its tone and in the trapped situation of the characters. my only advice would be to fast forward through the 1st 7 minutes or so at opening as there is a forward by LeGuin that is good to return to afterwards, but she does mention a couple of plot points that I'm glad i didn't know and was able to experience the story without prior prejudice of any type. Excellent and mature and i highly recommend it.

If you only read one Russian Science fiction novel, make it Roadside Picnic. Subject to heavy Soviet censorship during its beginnings, the Strugatsky brothers have only relatively recently been rediscovered appreciated for their remarkable skills. This a true gem for the science fiction genera, and while Robert Forster's heavy accent can take a bit of getting used to, he does a solid job with a great, albeit very bleak, story. Very highly recommended!

If you could sum up Roadside Picnic in three words, what would they be?

Working-class sci-fi adventure

What did you like best about this story?

Written before the Chernobyl disaster, it seems to predict the Exclusion Zone in the form of an alien crash-landing which upsets the natural order around the site, and brings with it great new technology. The main character is a gritty Stalker who dares to enter the Zone to recover artifacts. Now people who sneak into the Chernobyl are called 'Stalker' after this book.

Aliens have come and gone, leaving behind zones of strange and lethal artifacts. Like moths to a flame, some people who still live near the zones are fascinated by the mystery and thrill of obtaining bits of alien refuse, though most pay for it with their life. It's hard for me to remember that this book was written in the early 70's. And as a life-long reader of science fiction I can't believe I am discovering it for the first time at age 46. What a fantastic read! And what a great reader! Forster's voice fits the story perfectly. The only thing I struggled a little with was that each of the four sections of the book represents a jump forward in time. If you are looking at the print, the white space and bold section headers shout out the importance of these shifts, but in listening they fly by quickly. If you are not paying close attention you may get a little lost.

I don't speak Russian, so I can't tell you if this is a good translation. I can tell you it's a beautiful novel. Classic science fiction. The language and narration are just enough to make me smile at the memory. A devious story with some marvelous characters and an ending that makes you listen twice...or three times.

Road side picnic is an odd tale that brushes on many subjects, from mans place in the universe and deep into humanities imperfections. Its really hard to explain without giving away the details, but if you enjoy a mix of fantasy, mystery, and just a touch of horror, you will love Roadside Picnic.

The performance of the narrator is not perfect. There are times when his volume drops very low and then goes quite high, forcing you to fight with your volume controls. He doesn't do this too often, so the audio book is still a great listen.

Contact with aliens and what it can lead to. Pleasantly aside it rises deep questions on the subject. Enjoy it!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

geoff clout

1/8/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"I can honestly say that I was taken by every word!"

Boldly and succinctly transported into another world without unnecessary filling in of back story, and beautifuly read too.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Tracy H.

2/17/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"surreal novel"

After aliens have visited and left detritous like a Roadside Picnic on a Galatic Highway. Stalkers enter the Alien Zone illegally to find and sell what they risk their lives to find. Very rare can you read a gripping tale. this book immerses you in a truly exciting enviroment. i dreamt twice that i was in this alien zone. read it you wont regret it.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Amazon Customer

2/21/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Don't expect Tarkovsky"

Like Raymond Chandler decided to write a Philip K Dick novel. Well worth a listen.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Mattia

United Kingdom

6/15/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Unfortunaley I Cannot Recommend It"

I expected much more from this book, but unfortunately it hardly has a story at all, most of the conversations are absolutely useless to the plot and downright boring.

The only interesting part of the book are the Zone and the Artifacts and those are exactly the things that are not highlighted by the book. Furthermore, it was really upsetting that when a possible conjecture or explanation about an artifact would arise, it would just get immediately dismissed by the main character in such manner: "I ain't not a big brainer! I don't give a damn about those science thingys! Let them brain scientists figure that out! I'm just going to get drunk and brawl with a stranger at the pub cuz I'm cuuool!"And that, is the book in a nutshell... and I might add: -.-

In the hole book the Zone is visited only Three (3) times and nothing much happens.

Robert Forster, not my kind of narrator but perfect for the part, do not expect any accent, or tones other then the strong ones that you heard in the sample